Borkhoi Clutch
"Leaders shape the minds of their allies. It takes a master to shape the minds of enemies." Following the fall of the Grey Elves, the many legions of gargoyles that had escaped the infighting and chaos found themselves lost and amid the Augustgrad Desert. At the earliest clutchmeets, the various clutches would split into castes according to their ability - however, on the issue of the clutch that would form the primary military power of the various clutches, there was considerable debate. Whilst one branch of the gargoyles was insistent on sticking to the combat doctrines of their ancestors, the Grey Elves, and another advocated abandoning such styles in favor of the old ways, another was more dynamic and sought to instead to incorporate everything they had learned in their exodus and from encountering other races into their military doctrine. This disagreement would lead to the formation of three clutches - the Rakavuu, who trained in the style of their ancestors, the Gurahk, who abandoned the methods of their ancestors, seeing it as a corrupting influence, and the Borkhoi, who took the lessons their kind had learned from fighting the Humans and Naga under the banners of their ancestors to heart, and had learned dear lessons from this. The Borkhoi nested in the highlands in and around Augustgrad's western edge. Many of these had geothermic activity, which the Borkhoi took full advantage of in order to shape, forge, and temper the metal used in their weapons and armor. Defensive fighting and disciplined squad tactics became the watchword with the Borkhoi, and over time they took to capturing and breeding local species of monster for use as mounts. At the height of Gargoyle civilization, the Borkhoi Clutch was the largest, best-equipped, and arguably best-trained army on Fontraile, a veritable superpower within the clutch system of the Gargoyles of Augustgrad. Though very powerful, the Borkhoi Clutch's tendency towards militarism also made them oppressive and imposing. Routine wars meant that the Borkhoi clutch lost more young gargoyles than any other, and by the end of the Great Desert War, the Borkhoi had been reduced to a tiny shred of what was once the most powerful fighting force the Gargoyles had. The Borkhoi possess a unique blend of traits. They tend to be more muscular and bulkier than the other gargoyles, though they are neither as large as the Solahn or Gurahk. Like many of the other gargoyle clutches, the Borkhoi tended to have elven features, often quite beautiful, though more bestial visages for both genders were relatively common in thus clutch due to reasons unclear. Skin tones trend towards shades of brown and red, though the standard gargoyle blacks and grays are almost as common. Eyes tend to be, almost to a man in the Borkhoi clutch, goldenrod yellow in color, And their wings are both large and wide, with four seperate flanges per wing. Their tails are marked by a prominent, spiked dorsal ridge. Notches in this ridge due to how a Gargoyle grows meant that many Borkhoi used this ridge for holding objects; Rashida was known to hold Chakram - steel throwing rings - using them, only to launch them, mid battle, with a sudden snap of the tail. Rune-marks are invariable golden yellow in color. Information '''Clutch Name Meaning: '''Of the Shining Fist '''Regalia Colors: '''White, red, and gold; Rune-Marks are yellow '''Broodqueen: '''Rashida vai Borkhoi '''Focus: '''Defensive Military Strength; The Bulwark Against Which Hostile Forces Break. '''Symbol: '''A golden sunburst. Coming soon. Culture With military might and imperialism as the driving force behind their doctrine, it's no surprise that the culture of the Borkhoi was heavily influenced by this. Positions of power were held by those whom had spent extensive time out in the field and had achieved rank of Centurion; even Broodqueens were not exempt from this ruling. Unlike the other clutches, where the position of Broodqueen was usually democratically chosen (Asoriaus), or even fought for (Rakavuu), Borkhoi Broodqueens were to have at least ten years of military service, as well as having achieved rank of Dux (general in command of one or two legions). Every man, woman and child was expected to serve in the military at some point, and from the moment one could walk, there was an emphasis on military fitness. Around the age of ten years old, possibly even earlier, a child of the Borkhoi would begin military training. Rigorous physical activity, mental drills of tactics and orders; it was relentless. Those whom could not keep up with the rigorous training, however, still had other roles to fill. Armorers and Blacksmiths, Tacticians and Standard Bearers, Stablehands and Scouts; everyone had to help with the military some how. As a result, during peace times the Borkhoi soldiers were often described as on edge and agitated, leading to scuffles and an increased attendance of Borkhoi combatants in the Rakavuu arena History Coming soon.